Losing weight is something we should do before moving to a lighter bike. Is there a magic number, like, reducing X pounds of body weight is the equivalent of buying a Y-pound lighter bike?
--Gideon Gartenberg, all the way from Israel
MBA: First off, we don’t agree with you that a rider needs to lose weight before riding a lighter bike. Punishing yourself by riding a heavy bike just because you may be a little heavy will burn you out on riding. And just how big are we talking here, Gideon?
Production mountain bikes intended for trail riding are designed and tested to withstand the abuse of normal people, not racers who obsess about their bodies’ fat content. That means a 5-feet 10-inch rider who weighs 200 pounds with gear is going to enjoy great performance and reliability from a large-sized bike.
Of course, a heavy rider can go too far by reducing the bike’s weight with components designed for lighter riders or cross-country racing. In this case, he will add flex and suffer reliability issues that will detract from the overall ride. But we are talking “seriously overweight” before this would become an issue.
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